William a



W; A. SPARKS. GOFFIN FASTENER.

Patented Apr. 16,, 1889.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. SPARKS, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORIQASSIG NOR TO THE STEINMANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

COFFlN-FASTEN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent NO. 401,663, dated April16, 1889.

Application filed November 4, 1886. Serial No. 217,935- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LWILLIAM A. SPARKS, of the city of Rochester, in thecounty of Monroe and State of New York, have invented a certain new anduseful Improvementin Fastenings for Burial-0ases, of which the followingis a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to an improved fast ening for the lids of coffinsand burial-caskets, and is fully described in the followingspecification, and the novel features thereof specified in the claimsannexed to the said specification.

My improved fastening for burial-cases is represented in theaccompanying drawings, in which n V Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectionon a plane passing vertically through the cover or lid and one of thesides of a burial-case containing my invention. Fig. 2 is a side view ofa portion of aburial-case having my improved fastening applied thereto.Fig. 3 is an inverted View of a portion of the cover, showing the springand hook. Fig. 4 is a top view of one of the sides, showing the recessedplate which receives the hook and the lug for the spring. Fig. 5 is asection on the line a: at, Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a section on the line y y,Fig. 2.

In the accompanying drawings, A is the side of the body of aburial-case, and B the lid, which is provided with hooks a a, engagingwith the corresponding openings in the recessed plates 17 I), attachedto the sides of the body of the casket. The lid is attached to thecasket-body by four hooks, a a, two being employed on the opposite sidesnear the head and two near the foot. At one end of the casket I provide,in addition to the hooks a a, the sprin g-catch d, a slot, h, in whichengages with the lug e on the top of the side of the burialcase,preventing longitudinal motion of the lid. A thumb-piece on the catch dprojects outside, as shown at f, Figs. 2 and 5, to enable thespring-catch to be disengaged by pressing it upward off the lug 6, whenthe lid may be slid lengthwise to the right in the drawings, Figs. 1 and2, until the hooks a a are free from the openings 0 in plates 11, afterwhich the lid can be removed from the casket. The

plates Z) are hollowed or grooved on the upper surface, as indicated atFig. 4, to insure the hooks a a entering the openings 0. This groove mayalso extend along the side of the casket beyond the end of the plate b,if desired. A recess is formed in the side of the casket below the plateI) to allow the hook to enter. The form of the hooks a a will be readilyunderstood from an examination of the sectional view, Fig. 1, and theinverted view, Fig. 3. The hook itself is attached to the lower side ofthe lid B by the flange or plate j,which fits a recess formed for itsreception in the lid, its surface being flush with that of the'lid. Thelid is also recessed to allow the spring d to be 6 raised off the lug e,as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 5. The lug e is secured to thecasket by a screw, the tongue g, Fig. 1, entering the wood andpreventing movement after it is secured in place. The eye of the lug e70 is let into a recess in the side. It is designed to cover all theparts so far as possible with cloth. As shown in the drawings, the hooksa a are inclined at an angle with the lower surface of the lid, so thattheir points engage underneath the edge of the openings 0 in the plateI) b, so as to secure the lid in place. The end of the spring-catch (1may be secured between the base-plate of hook at and the wood of thecoffin-lid, or it may attached independ- 8o ently.

The spring-catch may be struck up from sheet metal, and the lug 6,plates b, and hooks a are each formed of a single casting, thescrew-holes being cast in them, so as to secure cheapness ofmanufacture.

It will be observed that the length of the spring d and the position ofthe lug e is such that when the lid is placed on the casket the lug eenters the slot h in the spring at the time when the hook at is fullyengaged with the opening 0 in the plate b, any endwise motion in the lidbeing thereafter prevented in one direction by the hook and in the otherdirection by the spring and lug. In practice I prefer to use springs andlugs on both sides of the casket, the thumb-pieces f projecting outwardin opposite directions, and being partially concealed from view by theedges of the lid. When the casket is to be closed, the lid IOO isapplied thereto with the points of the hooks a in the recesses in theplates by which the hooks are guided, while the lid is slid alonglengthwise on the casket until they enter the openings 0 in the plates5, allowing thelid to settle down until it rests on the casket, at whichtime the spring or springs (l engage with the lug or lugs 6, therebysecuring the lid in place on thecasket.

It will be observed that the lug e is beveled downward on the side nextthe hook, so that the spring (Z will rise up over the lug as the lid isslid along the casket in the direction to engage the hooks with theplates. The inclined backs of the hooks a cause the lid to descendgradually into contact with the casket as the lid is moved along untilthe points or inner edges of the hooks engage under the edges of theopenings in the plates, while the lugs 6 pass into the slots in thesprings d, therebysecuring the lid against movement in either direction.

I claiml. The combination, with the interlocking members of a concealedlid-fastener for burialcaskets, of a locking-spring for automaticallysecuring the aforesaid interlocking members in their locked position,the said spring having a finger-piece projecting underneath theoverlapping edge of the lid, whereby the lid may be released from thecasket, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination,with the inclined interlocking hook of a concealedCOfllll-lld fastener, of a flat locking-spring secured to the lid,having a recess back of its free end and a laterally projecting fingerpiece extending outward near the marginal edge of the under side of thelid, a plate secured to the casket-body provided with a slot or recessfor engaging the inclined interlocking hook, and a locking deviceconsisting of apin or lug secured to the upper edge of the casket toengage the spring, allsubstantially as and for the purpose set forth.

WILLIAM A. SPARKS.

Witnesses:

GEORGE PORTER HEss, GEORGE W. LOGAN.

